Shawnigan Lake woman charged after allegedly tampering with bear trap

British Columbia’s Conservation Officer Service (BC COS) says a Shawnigan Lake woman has been charged in connection with the tampering of a bear trap.

In a social media post, the BC COS said it was forced to set the trap in the Shawnigan Lake area last month after public education and enforcement efforts failed to reduce the conflict between humans and a black bear.

“The bear was significantly habituated to humans and was an ongoing public safety risk,” BC COS wrote.

The conservation officer service said after the trap was put in place, it soon received reports that the trap had been tampered with, rendering it inoperable. Signage was also posted on the trap.

After an investigation, a Shawnigan Lake woman was charged. The BC COS said the bear was never captured due to the trap being interfered with.

“The COS wants to stress that interfering or tampering with lawfully set traps is illegal and dangerous for both the public and the offender. The trap can injure an untrained person and a conflict animal can remain at large, exacerbating the public safety risk,” the BC COS wrote. 

The conservation officer service said people that are concerned for the safety of wildlife should instead manage attractants and reduce the cause of human-wildlife conflict.

The BC COS has not named the woman who was charged.

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